Part 23 (2/2)

DEAR MOTHER:

Today, alked into our new house and tomorroill settle down there We rented the furniture for the two unfurnished rooms; knives, forks, spoons, china for the table and extras for 35 dollars gold for two ot nothing Yesterday, I took two rickshaw men from half past twelve to half past five Out of that time they ran and pushed hty cents gold What you would pay a cabman to drive you froe Such beautiful persons in grey silk kimonos who bow, and bow and slip and slide in spotless torn white stockings with one big toe Theyon your own carpet in your own shoes Today we got the first news of the battle on the Yalu, the battle of April 26-30th I suppose Palht by Collier's instead of for myself But I don't want to love another paper I suppose there will be other fights but that one was the first, and it must have been wonderful On the 4th we expect to be on our way to Kioto with Lloyd and his wife and John Fox By that time we expect to be settled in the new house

dick

TOKIO, May 22nd, 1904

DEAR MOTHER:

You will be glad to hear that the correspondents at the front are not alloithin two and a halfline This I am sure you will approve Their tales of woe have just been received here, and they certainly are having a hard ti they all hope for is that the japs will order theentle pleasures of this town any longer and with this long trip to Port Arthur before I can turn towards home I am as cross as a sick bear We were at Yokohareat pleasure I got splendid news of The Dictator

Yesterday we all went to Yokohama There are four wild American boys here just out of Harvard who started the cry of ”Ping Yang” for the ”Ping Yannigans” they being the ”Yannigans” They help to arded by all classes Yesterday, they and Fox and Cecil and I went to the races, with five ricksha boys each, and everybody lost his reat fun It rained like a seive, and all the gentlemen riders fell off, and every time on money our thirty rickshaat which e had bet, would cheer us and salaaan turned up in the evening and dined with John and Cecil and me in the Grand Hotel and told us first of all the story the correspondents had brought back to Kobbe for which every one fro It wouldif any of us dared to write it To-day he made his protests to fukushi+ht and the second lot will I expect be treated better But, as the first lot were the i the important syndicates the harm, for the japs, has been done Of course,our points of view To them none of us is of any consequence except that he is a nuisance, and while they are conversationally perfect in politeness, the regulations they inflict are too insulting However, you don't care about that, and neither do I I a to earn my money if I possibly can, and come home

dick

TOKIO, June 13th, 1904

DEAR MOTHER:

We gave a farewell dinner last night to the Ping Yannigans two of whom left on the Navy expedition and another one to-ht men and we had new lanterns painted with the arans AlsoOne of thelance at the servants said, ”Gentleman and Lady: I propose a toast, japan for the japanese and the japanese for japan” We all knehat he reatly pleased Jack London turned up to-day on his way hoave you a treainst the wonderful little people and says he carries aith hi of irritation But I told him that probably would soon wear off and he would re hoht and I not yet started Still THIS TIME we et off Yokoyama the contractor takes our stuff on the 16th, and so we feel it is encouraging to have our luggage at the front even if we are here

dick

YOKOHAMA, July 26th, 1904

DEAR MOTHER:

We gave in our passes to-day, and sail to-morrow at five They say we are not to see Port Arthur fall but are to be taken up to Oku's army

That means we miss the ”popular” story, and may have to wait around several weeks before we see the other big fight They pro they do not intend we shall see it at all John and I are here at a japanese hotel, the one Li Hung Chang occupied when he cae the treaty between China and japan It is a very beautiful house, the best I have seen of real japanese and the garden and view of the harbor is nificent I wish Cecil could see it too, but I know she would not care for a room which is as free to the public view as the porch at Marion It has 48 mats and as a mat is 3 x 5 you can work it out We eat, sleep and dress in this roo Grand But it is very beautiful and theNo one of us has the least interest in the war or in eWe have been ”over trained”

and not even a siege of London could hold our thoughts from home I have just missed the mail which would have told me you were at Marion

I should so love to have heard from you from there I do not think you will find the Church house uncomfortable; and you can always run across the road when the traffic is not too great, and chat with Benjaood health froood letter fro extra work on a e of those prize stories I would have sent hioodbye for a little tio on board in a few hours, and after that everything I write you is read by the Censor so I shall not say anything that would gratify their curiosity They think it is un princes forbade their i the an i A able to tell you all how I love you

dick

DALNY, July 27th, 1904

DEAR MOTHER:

We left shi+ on the Heijo Maru a sot one of the two best rooms and I have been very comfortable We are at anchor now at a place of no interest except for its sunsets

We have just been told as the anchor is being lowered that we can send letters back by the Island, so I can just dash this off before leaving

We have reached Dalny and I have just heard the first shot fired which was to send me home All the others came and bid John and me a farewell as soon as ere sure it was the sound of cannon However, as it is 20 et a little nearer We have had a very pleasant trip even though ere delayed two days by fog and a slow convoy Noe are here at Dalny It looks not at all like its pictures, which, as I reood brick barracks-like town I a now The two servants seem very satisfactory and I a Kong Please send the gist of this letter dull as it is to Mrs Clark When I began it I thought I would have plenty of time to finish it on shore Of course, after this all I write and this too, I suppose will be censored So, there will not be much liveliness I have no taste to expose oodbye

R